Skip to main content

Jaded


 

Is it Columbia election season already? I’m still getting over last year’s.

Here we go again. There are ten Columbia Villages. Each has a citizen board. In addition, each village elects a representative to the CA Board, the one that meets downtown except it hasn’t been downtown since 2015.

Every Spring there are elections and they are generally boring and uneventful although sometimes they are annoying and uneventful. Then there was last year when The Mystery Project threw a lot of money into the mix and they were far more annoying and eventful than anyone might have anticipated.

What can I tell you that I haven’t said already? I’ve served on my own Village Board and I would highly recommend the experience if you care about where you live and you want to meet more of your neighbors. On the whole Village Boards are more fun to be on and more effective if those assembled are in favor of something, rather than angry and wanting to burn it all down. 

Isn’t that true of all community endeavors?

There are caring and thoughtful and wonderful people and there are small-minded, tribal, turf-hoarding people. And they all live in your neighborhood. Whoever the people are, they can make a big difference in your community. You can make a big difference. And remember, it doesn’t matter how long you’ve lived here, no matter what anybody says.

Heck. I may be jaded on the outside but it appears I’m still mushy on the inside for the spirit of Columbia self-governance. 

Here’s some information from the Columbia Association on how to run and how to vote. This year’s elections are on April 23rd.

Columbia Elections 101.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Teacher Gifts

Today is the last day of school before the Winter Break. It’s a good time to remember the far-reaching nature of our public school system. You may not have children. You may have sent your children to independent schools. It matters not. You will be impacted one way or another. Yesterday I read a long thread on Facebook about several waves of illness in the schools right now. There’s influenza A and norovirus, I believe. And of course there’s COVID. Apparently in some individual schools the rate of illness is high enough for school admin to notify parents.  When I was little the acceptable holiday gift for a teacher was one of those lovely floral handkerchief squares. (I don’t know what it was for male teachers. They were rare in my elementary years.) These days the range of teacher gifts is wider and I have fond memories of Target gift cards which I have written about before. I think it’s safe to say that giving one’s teacher Influenza, norovirus, or COVID is not the ideal holiday...
1 comment
Read more

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...
1 comment
Read more

F ³: Who Belongs at the Library?

  One of these things is not like the others One of these things doesn't belong Can you tell which thing is not like the other By the time we finish our song?* Did you guess which thing is not like the others? Did you guess which thing doesn't belong? If you guessed this thing is not like the others Then you're absolutely right.  Our library promotes equity. Our library promotes literacy for adults who have come here from many places. Our library promotes accessibility to materials and opportunities. Our library is hosting multiple Harry Potter themed events?  Tell me this isn’t so. J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter book series, has and continues to use the profits from those books to advocate for laws that diminish the rights of trans people. She has and continues to use her fame to influence public opinion to view and treat trans people negatively. In short, Ms. Rowling is using the Harry Potter book series to make transgender people around the world less safe....
1 comment
Read more